Twin vs Twin
by ddp456
Summary: Grunkle Stan announces a contest where the winner gets an extraordinary prize. Dipper sees a way at a second chance while Mabel views this as an opportunity to show who's really the Alpha twin. What will happen in this game where there can be only one clear winner? Please leave as many reviews, comments, and suggestions as you can. Thanks again!
1. Chapter 1

"KIDS! KIDS!"

On various sides of the Mystery Shack tourist trap, the Pines twins Dipper and Mabel stopped in the middle of their individual chores and sped towards the source of the shout. In union, they burst through the exit door of the Gift Shop, both run down and out-of-breath. Their Great-Uncle Stan (called "Grunkle" for short) waited for their arrival in the middle of the room. He leaned forward on his custom-made 8-ball tipped cane.

"About time you two showed up…" The old man welcomed his niece and nephew in his own sarcastic way. He looked around the room to view his other employees. The handyman, Soos was to his right, hanging on every word that came out his mentor's mouth. On his left, the lethargic teenage clerk, Wendy Corduroy leaned back on her stool, her filthy, muddy boots resting on the wooden counter. Her attention waned back and forth between her boss and the cell phone in her hand as she texted her friends with lightning speed.

"Now that you're all here," Stan started, "We can begin…" He held a fist up to his mouth and coughed into it. "The reason I called this get-together is to make an announcement. For the next week, we are going to have a contest for Mystery Shack employees!"

The eyes of Dipper, Mabel, and Soos instantly lit up while Wendy's remained glued to her phone. Stan reached into his tux and pulled out a packet of yellow tickets. He passed them around the room as the three employees each took a share. Dipper left the last bunch on the counter next to Wendy's feet. He began to read the sheet aloud:

"**MR. MYSTERY'S ONCE IN A LIFETIME RAFFLE**!  
$1 = 1 CHANCE TO WIN FABULOUS PRIZES  
INCLUDING A BIG-SCREEN TV!  
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY? ADDITIONAL TAXES MAY BE APPLIED…"

"…big screen TV?" Dipper questioned, "_You're_ giving away a TV?" _You?_"

"What?!" The elder argued back, "Are you saying I can't run a decent promo every now and then?"

The reluctant boy crossed his arms, "So, where did you swipe it from?"

"The audacity! To think that I would even…"

The nagging stares of four pairs of eyes made the old timer reconsider his answer, "If you _must_ know, it actually…fell off a truck…"

"So you did steal it!"

"No," Grunkle Stan corrected, "It _literally_ fell off the back of a truck. I pulled over and loaded into my backseat with no one the wiser!"

The two twins glanced at each other. Mabel simply shrugged her shoulders at her great-uncle's story.

"Anyways," he continued. "I have a special prize for whoever sells the most tickets!" Once again, Stan searched his coat pockets until he found his proposed award. With a devious grin, he extended his fist outwards for the group to see.

Soos gasped at the sight, "Is that…?"

"It is!"

The man-child put his flabby hands to his face in excitement, "Oh, man! You got tickets for the State Fair!"

Dipper and Mabel looked up in confusion at their friend's excitement. "What's so special about this thing?" Mabel asked.

"Are you kidding?!" He exclaimed. "You guys never heard of this?!"

Without taking her sights off her phone, Wendy helped to explain, "Picture a _decent_ version of the fair that Stan threw here a few weeks ago…"

Her annoyed boss pointed his cane straight at her, "You watch it there, missy!"

"…it's almost three times as big. There's a ton more food, prizes to win, and rides." Dipper noticed that she briefly peeked from her texting, her emerald eyes glowing, "My fav is the giant ferris wheel at the center. It's so tall that you can see the entire tri-county area from the very top…" Her secret admirer made sure to take note of her dreamlike fondness for the attraction.

"So, that's the deal, kids," Stan confirmed. "Whoever sells the most raffle tickets gets the two passes to do with whatever _he or she_ wants…"

"Oh, boy!" Soos rejoiced. "I can't wait!"

Rolling his eyes, Grunkle Stan leaned in closer to his employee, "Soos, every time the fair comes to town, you always get picked up as one of the maintenance guys. Either way, you're already going to this thing…"

The heart-broken mechanic seemed downtrodden by the news, "Yeah, but I wanted to get in on the fun, too…" He hung his head in disappointment.

"Actually," Stan returned his focus to the three eligible workers, "I think this is something more for the kids to do." He lowered his weight onto the 8-ball cane, "So, whatdya say?"

"Ooh…" Wendy interjected from her post. "Don't get me wrong, I like the carnival, but then again, this involves _real_ work, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to concede."

The boss shook his head in dismay, "The contest hasn't even begun yet, and you already dropped out. Well done, Corduroy. Well done…"

"I aim to please…"

After shooting the lazy girl an ice cold glance, Stan turned back towards the twins, "Well, I guess it's up to you two, my own flesh and blood, to make me proud."

Dipper started, "It sounds great, Grun –"

"Oh. My. Gosh! I can't wait!" Mabel exploded, cutting off her twin brother. She ran around the room, pointing and bragging, "You guys just watch! I'll show you all!" Soos winced in reflex while Wendy giggled at her young friend, "I'm going to go out there and blow your minds with how many raffle-thingies I'll sell! Just you wait!"

The pint-sized brunette headed for the family room entrance, "Waddles and I are going to get started on a game plan! Be back later!"

"Wow!" Her great-uncle admired, "What moxy!" He excitedly rubbed his hands together, "I can't wait to taste all that money that kid's gonna bring in!"

"Um," Dipper corrected, "Don't you mean "count" all that money?"

"Taste/count; same difference…"

Dipper's attention returned to the Gift Shop counter where his crush sat as she shirked her duties. After a moment, Wendy's eyes shot up from the neon screen to see her "boy" staring at her. She gave him a small smirk and a tiny wave before going back to her texting,

He thought back on how her excited expression when describing the Ferris Wheel reminded him of how Wendy was when they spent the entire day together at the Mystery Fair…_or at least how it was suppose to be…_

Earlier in the month, Dipper had finally worked up enough courage to ask his secret love out to a day at the fair…_and she accepted_! At first, things were going great! They ate together and laughed at Stan's shoddy attempts at physical, working rides. The little detective thought that this was a day he'd never forget.

Little did he know how right he was, especially once he crossed paths with a certain stuffed creature of indeterminate species. The second Wendy laid eyes on it, her face beamed like he had never seen before. It might have been a bit egoistical on his part; a case of machismo taken a step too far, but Dipper knew he just had to win one of these panda-duck hybrids for the spellbound girl at his side.

He stepped up to the booth where Wendy's future prized possession sat behind the worn-out counter. The barker relinquished the white ball as he offered a warning, _"You only get one chance…"_

Encouraged by the smiling freckled-faced ginger at his side as she gave him a double-thumbs-up, Dipper threw the projectile, only to watch in horror as it bounced off the booth's wooden frame and into the right eye of his main squeeze!

Dipper flew into an immediate panic as his compassion cried out and winced at her injury. He tried his best to calm her and went to get her ice to help with the swelling. By the time he returned, his worst nightmare had happened. Robbie V., the local bully and his rival for Wendy's affections, had swooped in to aid her, as well as take the opportunity to ask her to go steady with him.

As Wendy ran off with Robbie, Dipper stood there stunned and heartbroken. He couldn't believe the sight before his eyes. He begged and pleaded with the fates for a second chance, a way to make things right.

Little did he know that his prayers would be answered only a few moments later. The Pines twins would shortly bump into the time-traveler Blendin Blandin, and after distracting him, swiped his time machine and went back to fix Dipper's mistakes.

After countless attempts (and well as giving poor Wendy black-eye after black-eye) Dipper had successfully changed things for the better, where not only had he won the purple doll, he also captured Wendy's affections as well. To make things better, Robbie was also exposed as the petty, jealous jerk that he truly was.

Wendy had excitedly dragged "her right guy" around every aspect of the fair for what seemed like hours. Dipper took in and basked in all of the glory given to him. The experience was so much like his dreams that it was kind of scary. However, his twin sister Mabel ran up to him and explained that by altering the timeline, she had lost the chance to win her pet pig, Waddles.

At first, Dipper fought against his sister's wishes. After all, he had worked long and hard to make things right with Wendy. Was it worth throwing it all away over a pig? Mabel claimed that it was her soul mate; she had said the same thing about a ball of yarn once! Despite this, Dipper just couldn't break his sister's heart, even if it meant ruining his own chances with the girl he secretly loved…

Dipper cleared his thoughts. He focused on the prospect at hand. "I can't believe it," the hyped boy thought to himself, "_I can get another chance_…" Dipper stole a look out of the corner of his brown eye at the unsuspecting teenager sitting at the register. _"I can give her the day she truly deserved…"_

Stan and Soos broke away from the group to go on their own ventures. Wendy hung about at the Gift Shop Counter, her nose buried in the brand-new issue of _Indie Fuzz_. Dipper went through the living room door in search of his sister. Since they (technically) were the only two contestants, he figured that he could coax her into throwing the contest for his sake.

"Well, why wouldn't she?" Dipper asked. "After everything that has happened with Waddles, I'll bet that Mabel would be more than happy to help me out. What am I saying? She's my sister! Of course she would! All I have to do is explain, and heck, she'll probably start planning on what colored dress she wants to wear to the wedding!"

Upon walking into the front room, Dipper's mouth literally dropped open at the sight before him.

The round table in the parlor had been transformed in a battle station of sorts. A map of the town was spread across the top, draping over the edges. Various places on the chart were marked off with several household items like salt and pepper shakers and Chipackerz chip-flavored crackers. Mabel was standing on her tip-toes, shifting back and forth as she asked her pet sitting beside her for advice.

"So, what did you think, Waddles?" Mabel asked as she moved markers back and forth. "Should we start on Bachman Street or hit the morning rush at Greasy's Diner?"

"She's…" Dipper stood spellbound by his sister's actions, "She's…actually _strategizing_!"

Nevertheless, he stepped back to ask his sister for her assistance, "Listen, Mabel, I need to talk to you – "

The pre-teen went on high alert at the sound of her brother's voice, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah…" Dipper rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I need your help with –"

To his surprise, Mabel seemed to go on the offensive, "I'll bet you do!"

"Really?"

She reached over and used her small frame to cover her map, "You're here to spy on our game plan, aren't you?"

"What?!"

The metal-mouthed tactician looked up, "Admit it! You know you want those carnival tickets just as bad as I do!"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"I knew it!" Mabel swooped up all of her supplies into a messy ball and clutched it close to her chest, "Well, guess again, mister! If you want to win, you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that!"

Dipper held out his hands in defense, "Wait a sec, Mabel! You don't understand!"

The girl merely rolled her brown eyes at her twin, "Like phooey I don't! I know exactly how you get in these cases. Like Grunkle Stan said, it's down to me versus you! Twin versus twin! In the end, this is another game to see who the alpha twin really is!"

"Please listen, Mabel! It isn't like – "

She carried her tools towards the staircase, "If you want to win, Dipper, you're going to have to do it the old-fashion way!" Mabel ran up the stairs, only to turn back towards her sibling, "May the best twin win!" She disappeared upstairs, her beloved pig following closely at her heels.

Dumbfounded by what had just occurred, Dipper kicked at the floor, making a small dust cloud rise up.

"Great…that's just great!"


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, the metallic ringing of an old-fashioned alarm clock echoed throughout the peacefully Oregon wilderness. Dipper Pines jumped out of a sound sleep with a high-pitched cry. Upon realization of the annoying noise, he sunk back into his comfy bed and blindly through his hand towards the source, affectively silencing it.

Dipper let out a sigh as he checked the time on the clock, "Ten o' clock…perfect…" He moaned as pulled himself out of bed. He looked across the room to see that the bed belonging to his twin sister, Mabel was messily made.

"Probably off playing with Waddles or the girls…" the boy mumbled to himself as he lowered his legs to the floor. Dipper remembered the quest he had to partake. It was only the day before that his Grunkle Stan announced a contest in which the winner would receive two tickets for the State Fair, a gigantic carnival that was easily three times the size of the one Stan threw in their backyard.

When everything was said and done, the challenge would come down to being between Mabel and him (since Soos was already part of the maintenance team and the aspect of extra work shooed Wendy away). It was the thought of his red-headed crush that made Dipper want to compete in this game. All he could think about was the last time they had gone to the fair together, of how he accidentally pegged the unwary girl with a ricochet baseball in the eye. Now, he had a chance to make everything right; he had a way to treat _his_ Wendy to a day out that she truly deserved, that they _both_ deserved.

But as with everything in his life, fate wouldn't let him off the hook so easily…

Dipper tried to explain to his twin sister how important this chance was to him. Unfortunately, the perky little girl wouldn't give him the time of day. She instantly assumed that Dipper was trying to outdo her, similar to when they would vie in various board games. The competitive nature that the young detective shared with his sibling came back to firmly bite him in the behind.

Because of this, Dipper knew that he had to get things done the old fashioned way…

Deciding to put his paranormal research on hold, the determined twelve-year-old had gone to bed early to start his journey bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. At the moment though, Dipper hoped that the world would accept him as merely being "awake…"

He threw on a pair of clean clothes and stumbled into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He figured that he had to look somewhat decent in order to charm the local residents of Gravity Falls into buying a raffle ticket or two. After all, he knew that his a-dork-able sibling would be bringing her A-game to insure complete and utter victory.

The tween rushed back into his attic bedroom and shoved the packet of tickets into his vest pocket. He went to leave, only to stop in mid-step. Dipper looked around to make sure that he was truly alone. He dug into the bottom side of his pillow case and pulled out a hidden treasure.

Dipper looked down at the item, a paper thin photo, and had his valor refilled. The frozen, smiling, dimpled face of Wendy Corduroy stared back at him, offering a gentle wave. He lowered his head and gave the keepsake a gentle peck on her freckled cheek, "Wish me luck, okay?"

With renewed ambition, Dipper slid the photo back into its hiding place. Upon reaching the stairs, his ears perked up as he heard the sound of laughter. Dipper rounded the corner and gasped at the sight in front of him.

Mabel and Waddles sat in a red wagon filled with an endless amount of dollar bills! Their Grunkle Stan laughed whole-heartedly as he tossed pile upon pile into the air in celebration. As Mabel joined in, Stan placed his arm around her.

"HA! I can't believe it!" The geezer celebrated. "I knew you'd do great, but…" He grabbed a handful of money and raised it above his head, "…_this_…I never expected this!" Mabel's metal smile widened as she felt her great-uncle squeeze her harder, "I always knew you had a bit of the old man in ya!"

"Huh?" Dipper questioned as he approached Soos, who was watching the events unfold to the side, "What is all of this?!"

"Dude," Soos detailed, "Mabel's been selling tickets like gangbusters! She already sold every ticket she had!"

"What!" The astonished boy squealed, "But that's impossible! It's only ten in the morning!"

"Sorry, Dipper buddy, but she's been doing this since the crack of dawn!"

She flashed a braced-smile at her twin, "Hey, you have to be ready to do _anything_ in order to win!" Mabel took a break from rejoicing, "Hey Grunkle Stan? Is there any way I can get more of those tickety-dealies?"

Stan eagerly picked the tiny pixie up and hoisted her on his shoulder, "Why, you bet you can!" They disappeared into the next room leaving Waddles to tend to the mound of cash. The curious pig began to sniff and chew on the bills, forcing Soos to gently shoo the creature away from his boss's profits.

"I gotta…" Dipper panicked, "I gotta get outta here!"

The boy bolted for the door and ran towards the pathway to town. "Sure," he thought to himself, "Mabel may have a head start on me, but it isn't like she sold a ticket to everyone in town, right?"

As Dipper went from location to location, he was told the exact thing:

"Sorry, kid…" he was repeatedly told as he went door-to-door.

"…but I already bought…" the patrons at Greasy's Diner revealed.

"…one of those tickets…" the bar-bums at the Skull Fracture groaned.

"…from a cute little brunette girl…" people at the side of the Gravity Falls Pool explained.

"…hey, you kind of look like her!" said the folks coming out of the Tent of Telepathy (before Dipper was chased from the premises by Gideon's father, Bud).

After a long, disappointing day, Dipper found himself sitting on a log just outside the Mystery Shack. "I still can't believe it…I couldn't sell _one_ of these darned things!" He looked down at the unsold tickets in his hands and dropped his head into his lap. "What am I going to do now?

Dipper sighed in his self-exposed darkness, "Maybe this is a sign; perhaps this is life's way of telling me that I just can't win when it comes to…"

A small hand placed itself on Dipper's shoulder, making him shoot upward in reflex. A sense of relief overcame him as he found himself face-to-face with Wendy.

"Hey, chum," she pondered, "Why so glum?"

"Who, me?" Dipper fibbed, stashing the tickets out of sight. "You know, I'm just pooped from all of this raffle ticket business."

"Really?" Wendy went to sit next to her friend, prompting Dipper to scoot down the log a bit to give her room. "I heard Mabel sold through all of her tickets, so I stopped over to see how you're doing!"

Dipper chuckled to himself, fidgeting his fingers nervously, "How I'm doing? I'm doing great! Business is booming! Heh-heh!"

"Uh-huh…" Wendy played along, knowing that something wasn't right with this picture. "Tell you what," she reached into her pockets and yanked out few single dollars, "I don't suppose you have an extra one you can sell me, do ya?"

Dipper gave his sweetheart a confused look, "_You_…want to buy one…_from me_?"

She nodded, "Well, I can use a new TV for the ol' bedroom. That is, if you have any left."

Trying to be somewhat sly, Dipper reached into his vest and pulled out a single ticket. He broke off the bottom piece and gave Wendy the top. In return, she dropped a single dollar into his hand, "Thanks, Dip." A tiny beep radiated from her lanky frame. "Well," Wendy checked her wristwatch, "Looks like my break's over." She stood up and playfully pulled on the tip of his trucker cap, "I'll catch you later, okay?" Wendy walked back towards the Mystery Shack, only to turn around halfway, "Go get them, slugger! I'll be rooting for you!" She returned back on the path back to work.

"I –"

Dipper looked down at the objects that his crush had handed him. He took both items and put them into his back short pocket.

"I know you are…"

Dipper jumped up on his feet and pounded his fist against an open palm. Rejuvenated by Wendy's sign of encouragement, he was prepared to do whatever was necessary in order to make his dream come true.

He ran to the opposite side of the house and used the family entrance of the Shack. Panting hard, Dipper rushed up the rickety staircase and slammed his bedroom door tightly shut behind him. The indomitable lad reached up his bookcase and snagged his mystical journal marked with the golden insignia "3" by the edges of his fingertips.

"Let's see," Dipper mused as he carried the book back to his bed. "There must be something in here that I can use to get me back in the game!" He laid down, propping his head up on his pillow, and began to speed-read through the various passages.

"Well," he singled out as he went page by page. "I can't get the creatures to help me out with this one. It's not like the gnomes, man-o-taurs, or the Multi-Bear could just waltz up to the Shack and claim their prize. Clones are also out, since they're more trouble than they're worth!" A brief chill went up his spine as he imagined the sight of Wendy being hopelessly swarmed by a hundred little Dipper, each reaching and clinging on to her as they beg for her to accept their invitation to the State Fair. "Besides, if they're anything like me, they're probably just as broke!"

All of a sudden, a particular passage stood out; a potential fix to his problem:

_"Portals:_

_Starting in the center of the Gravity Falls Forest, there is a series of secret passages that link together some of the greatest cities of this nation. Using a system similar to that of a mobius strip, these "portals" are able to bring an individual to a place on the other side of the country within minutes!"_

"Hmm…" the sleuth rubbed his chin with his stubby fingers, "Maybe I have been going about this the wrong way. The problem is that Mabel already hit up all of the clientele in Gravity Falls; perhaps I need to find myself a new market…"

With that, Dipper tucked the journal into his vest and set off to the area in the woods that the tome highlighted.

"Okay, then…" he dictated as he walked with his face buried in the book's pages, "According to what it says, the entrance should be right…around…he – OOOF!"

Dipper picked himself off the ground to see that he had walked right into a solitary turtle statue standing in the middle of a clearing.

"What the – what's with Mr. Turtle here?" He double-checked his journal for reference. Sure enough, the image sketched on the worn-out page had a turtle statue pulled to the side of a gaping hole.

With a sense of hesitation, Dipper went to the side of the effigy and threw all of his weight against the structure. Slowly, but surely, the turtle shifted in the dirt, revealing a dust-covered staircase leading into the ground. Dipper could have sworn that he heard a series of chimes as he descended into the passage. He shook his head, chalking the sound up to his over active imagination.

Surprisingly, Dipper's passage into the damp earth was considerably well-lit. He looked overhead to see that a series of lanterns lead the way into an empty room. He squint his eyes to make out an old, wooden sign with a faded, name-written message:

"TAKE ANY ROAD YOU WANT"

Three different openings presented themselves before the confused child. Having no idea where to turn next, Dipper used the time-and-time again proven method of solving complicated matters:

"Eeny - meeny – miny – moe…"

Dipper's finger ended up landing on the leftmost path. He proceeded with caution towards the end of the tunnel. A faint *WHOOSH* - ing sound could be perceived in the background. A giant grey slab blocked off the exit. Dipper tried to push upwards, only to be defeated easily; the obstruction didn't budge a single inch. As he thought of another way out, Dipper noticed a big red button embedded into the dirt wall. He slammed his open palm against the switch. A loud screech pierced Dipper's hearing, making him cover both of his ears. A layer of gravel and soil leaked down as the grey wedge moved to the side, giving him an open exit.

Out-of-breath, Dipper peeked out from the hole to explore the strange, new land. A sort of haze covered the blue sky. A pungent smell invaded his nostrils, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Where the heck am I?"

Gorgeous greenery encircled the vast land. To his right, several cute couples paddled their way in rowboats beneath an elevated bridge. Unique statues and artworks could be seen within a short distance of the garden where he stood. Massive buildings, what Dipper guessed to be museums or theaters, could be seen in the background. He turned around to discover that his passageway had been covered by a huge sculpture depicting the characters of Lewis Caroll's _Alice in Wonderland_.

Dipper took a step forward to see dozen of individuals from every way of life speed right past him. Joggers, cyclists, and even rollerbladers quickly dodged around the lost kid. The last pedestrian slowed slightly to shake an angry fist, "'ey, I'm 'blading here!"

"No way…"

His theory was thusly proven right as Dipper raised his head to see the ironic greenish-blue statue standing proudly in the distance, as if it was keeping constant vigil over its city.

"I'm…I'm in New York City! This is Central Park!"

A sense of whimsy and wonder quickly overcame the mind-blown twelve year old. It wasn't often that he traveled far from his hometown of Piedmont, and yet, he now found himself all alone in what could be considered one of if not _the_ busiest cities in the whole world!

Dipper attempted to focus on the task at hand. "Get a grip, Dipper! This is perfect chance to break out those tickets and try to catch up with Mabel!"

With a bit of forced courage, Dipper shyly started to approach the local denizens and began to pitch his wares. At first, the busy populous ignored him; many didn't even stop to acknowledge the pint-sized salesman in their path.

In spite of this, Dipper refused to give up. The image of his excited main squeeze remained fresh in his mind. After his last refusal, he decided to change tactics. Thinking back to when he filled in for Stan during the brief time Mabel ran the Mystery Shack, he climbed up a nearby ledge, took a deep breath, and proclaimed to the world, "Hey there, friends! This is "Honest Dipper," saying hello to you from the sleepy state of Oregon…"

A small crowd had stopped in front of the loud-mouthed barker to see what exactly his deal was. He beamed, knowing his plan was coming to fruition!

"And boy, oh boy, do I have an incredible offer for you fine folks today!"

* * *

"Bye! And thanks again!" Dipper waved farewell to his last customers. As they left, he could make out what they were saying:

"Are you sure you should have bought a ticket from that kid, Murray? It could be a scam!"

"I doubt it, Eliie. I mean, look at the way he's dressed! If anything, he's probably some charity case!"

Insults aside, Dipper looked down at the profits in his hands, "I still can't believe it! I sold more than half of my inventory!" He organized the cash and hid it deep into one of the pockets inside his blue vest. "I wonder, if I go back and take the other paths…"

A minute later, Dipper went back into the tunnel and used the button to reseal the hidden staircase. He backpedaled to the fork in the road, only to take the middle road. Once again, he activated a switch to reveal another entry to the surface.

As Dipper climbed out of the opening, he was lightly sprayed with a relaxing, cool mist. Refreshed, he spun on his heels to see that he had crawled out a newly founded gap at the edge of a gigantic fountain. A series of shiny, reflective skyscrapers stood out in the distance, blanketing the area in a cool shade. On the other side, a speeding expressway came between a clean and well-populated beach as it was lapped over and over by a crystal clear lake.

Dipper looked around for something to help him figure out where he was on this second journey. He examined the fountain until he found a sign alongside the structure.

"BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN – DEDICATED IN 1927…"

"Buckingham Fountain?" Dipper came to a realization. "I'm in Chicago!"

After looking both ways, the motivated boy ran rushed through the high-speed lanes and onto the beach. He swiftly removed his shoes and socks, so that the sand wouldn't bog him down. Dipper approached the first group of partiers…

* * *

"Man, oh man!" Dipper said as he enjoyed a slice of pepperoni-deep dish pizza at one of the beachside restaurants. "Another quarter of tickets are gone!" As he continued to munch on his treat, he mused over the idea of taking full advantage of the journal's hidden secret. "Would it be too greedy if I went down the last path?" In his mind's eye, he could easily see his twin sister standing triumphantly alongside her pig and great-uncle, as well as having to watch the disappointment in his crush's emerald eyes.

"Well…I guess that answers that question…"

Within minutes, Dipper had closed this latest opening and made his way to the rightmost path. Upon breaching the final barrier, Dipper was greeted with something different from the last two cities.

"Brrr…" Dipper shivered as he ran his hands against his shoulders, "It's a bit breezy out here…" He stepped out of the channel in hopes that the sun's rays would help warm him up. He raised his sights to the sky to see that the bright blue had been replaced by a darkened grey. He rotated around to see that he had just come out of a giant, white tower stretching hundreds of feet in the air. A pointed tip topped the peak of the structure.

"Wait," the tween detective recalled. "I remember this place…" He looked across the street to the drab-colored neighborhood, where it seemed as if every other business was a posh-looking coffee house.

"That's the Space Needle! This has to be Seattle, Washington!"

As he became aware of his surroundings, Dipper noticed that a group of older hipsters dressed in the finest, most expensive "stylish" clothes he had ever seen!

"Bingo!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "I think I found my last customers. Dipper hurried towards the potential clients; this time, however, he decided to use a different approach: Dipper actually told the truth about his situation…

* * *

"So long, tiny dude!" One of the guys bid Dipper farewell, raising his cup of java in the air, "Good luck with that little lady of yours!"

"Actually, she's not that _little_," Dipper corrected, "But thanks anyways!"

"Finally…" Dipper sighed as he recounted all of his money and double-checked all of the claim tickets remainders. "All of them are gone!" He smiled devilishly as he made his way back towards home.

"Let's see Mabel top this!"


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper and Mabel watched as their Grunkle Stan silently counted their earnings. Ticket by ticket, he carefully organized two individual piles, each representing a twin. Their brown eyes widened every single time one's group would grow larger than the other. After what seemed like an eternity, the old man looked up with a serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?!" Dipper asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, Grunkle Stan," Mabel concurred. "Who's the winner?"

Stan scratched the top of his head, "That's the thing, kids; there _isn't_ a winner. _You both tied_!"

"WHAT?!" Both twins screeched simultaneously.

Mabel tried to look on the bright side of things, "Well, does that mean that we each get a pair of tickets then?"

Grunkle Stan lowered his eyes at his high-hoped niece, "Guess again, honey…"

Dipper's hopes were instantly dashed. "All that work…_for nothing_…" He walked away and shoved his hands into his pockets. Oddly enough, his fingertips brushed up against something he had stashed away earlier. His brown eyes shot open when he remembered what it was.

"Wait!"

Holding it in his hand, Dipper ran back towards the living room table where his sister and great-uncle were still seated. He slammed the items loudly on the table and took a step back. Mabel and Stan peered down to see a crumbled dollar hiding a severely wrinkled ticket clip: _Wendy's ticket clip!_

"HA!"

Mabel picked up the bent piece of paper, "No flipping way!"

At first, Stan found himself speechless at the development. A sly grin quickly formed the elder's face. "Wow! I'll be honest, kid! I really didn't see this coming!" He slid his hand into his tux and relinquished the two tickets for the State Fair. He dropped them into Dipper's hands, "Here you go, Dipper." He looked past him at his stunned sister, "Sorry, Mabel. Better luck next time…"

As Stan took his leave, Dipper clutched the passes tightly and raised his arms in the air in victory, "YES! YES! YES!" He couldn't take his eyes off his prize. "I can't wait to go tell Wen – "

"Hang on a sec!"

Dipper twirled around to see his sister stand on a chair, shifting through his ticket stubs. "What is all of this," she asked as she held and dropped various clippings, "Seattle? Chicago?" Mabel gazed back at her brother, "How did you get all of these…"

In utter nervousness, Dipper crossed his arms behind his back and rocked back and forth on his heels. He rolled his eyes as he innocently whistled to himself.

"You didn't…" Mabel hopped off the chair and met her brother face-to-face, "You used some magic-y thing from that book to cheat, didn't you?"

"Mabel, I –"

"DIDN"T YOU?!"

"All right! Fine! I did!" Dipper yelled back. "It's exactly like what you said: _"Hey, you have to be ready to do anything in order to win!" _and I did just that! I tried asking you for help, but you completely blew me off, chalking this up as some sort of stupid contest! This was more important to me because –" Dipper noticed that Mabel's attention had wandered away elsewhere as she stood with an open-mouth, her brown eyes focused on something above him. "What? What are you looking at?"

Unfortunately, Dipper failed to notice the tall, lanky shadow casting itself down from behind.

"Whoa…"

The familiar tone instantaneously made goose flesh spread through his body. Taking a huge gulp, he turned around to see a totally shocked Wendy Corduroy glaring down at him.

"WENDY! I didn't – I mean, I didn't know you were…"

"Dude," she bemoaned, "You cheated in order to win Stan's lame little contest?"

"Wendy, I –"

"Over a pair of stupid carnival tickets?!"

"But, Wendy, you –"

Her expression changed from saddened to angered, "How could you, Dipper?!"

He put his hands up, trying to mount a sort of defense, "You don't understand…"

"How could you do that to your own sister?! _You're supposed to be one of the good guys, Dipper!"_

"But I am!" Dipper tried to explain his actions, "If you'd let me –"

Wendy held out an arm to halt him, "Don't bother!" She walked past her pleading friend, making her way to Mabel's side. "Come on, Mabel. How about you and I get outta here for a little bit? Maybe grab a bite to eat or something?" Mabel nodded as the two girls walked towards the family room exit. A squeaky, half-broken voice made the steamed redhead stop in her tracks:

"You said you were rooting for me! I thought you wanted me to win…"

Wendy turned her head to answer him; a hint of sadness returned to her emerald eyes.

"I did, Dipper, but _not like this_…" She returned her attention to her new charge, "Let's go. We'll leave the winner to his _well-deserved_ spoils…"

"But, Wendy…"

Both adolescents walked out the front door without acknowledging Dipper's plea.

"But, Wendy…"

*SLAM*

Dipper sunk to his knees, "But Wendy, I did all of this _for you…"_

* * *

"Waddles! Come back!"

Mabel chased the misbehaving pig up the flight of rickety stairs. Granted, she did just try to apply her latest makeup blend to her pet's adorably chubby cheeks, but the young girl figured that was no reason for him to go rampaging through the house.

Her pink pal slipped into the partially opened door that led to the attic-converted bedroom that Mabel shared with his twin brother. Upon reaching the door, she could hear Dipper cry out, "BAH!"

She peeked into the room to see that Waddles was on his hind legs, trying to frail around to get the boy's attention. Lying on his bed, Dipper took a hold of his hooves and set them on the ground, "Leave me alone, pig! This is all your fault!" He turned away from the cute pet and crossed his arms, "If it wasn't for you, this whole thing with Wendy wouldn't have happened in the first place!"

Enraged, Mabel was about to throw open the door and chew her twin a new one. She stopped as soon as she heard his voice continue after letting out a agitated groan, "Sorry…"

Mabel hid around the corner and watched as Dipper helped Waddles back into a standing position against the bed. "I shouldn't have said that. After all, Mabel loves you with every fiber of her being." He looked down at the pig, and shrugged his shoulders, figuring that he was the only one that would be willing to actually to hear him out.

"It's just that, I did give up something great with Wendy in order to help Mabel win you back from the Mystery Fair. That's what this whole contest thing was about." He squeezed Waddles harder, "All I wanted was to get a _real_ second chance with Wendy; a perfect day that we could spend together without anything with magic or time-travel or incredibly random injuries getting in the way."

Mabel pressed her ear closer as Dipper continued his narration, "At first, I did actually try to talk to Mabel about this. I figured, "Hey, maybe she'd remember everything I did for your sake. Perhaps she'd be willing to help me out this one time…"" He let out a dejected laugh, "Boy, was I wrong! Mabel wouldn't even give me the time of day! She accused me of trying to steal her game plan; of trying to prove myself to be the best twin, when in truth, that was the very last thing in my mind!"

The girl fell back against the hallway as her heart sunk into her gut. Mabel remembered that Dipper was desperately trying to tell her something, but she did cut him off at every turn. She simply presumed that it was a part of the rivalry game that they secretly shared. In truth, she didn't even have a plan for the State Fair tickets herself. Her main motivation was to simply one-up her overachieving brother for the sake of bragging rights. Mabel never factored her gingered co-worker into the grand scheme of things.

She asked herself, "If I did give Dipper a chance to explain, would I have helped him? Even if it was for Wendy's sake?" Mabel went back to spying on her slightly younger brother.

"That morning, I came downstairs and seen that Mabel had sold through her entire supply! I went to every place I could think of in Gravity Falls, only to be told that you guys already hit 'em up. I didn't know what else to do! The only thing I could think of was how was I going to face Wendy and say that I failed."

Dipper gently rubbed the top of Waddles's head, making him oink gently. "Every time someone would mention that fair, I would see her face light up. The sight of seeing Wendy excited like that was priceless. Heck, she was the only person in this town that actually bought a ticket from me! She said she was rooting for me! How could I let that down? That's the only reason I did exactly what I did! But now…"

Mabel could hear her twin's voice break as he went on, making her heart shatter.

"But now, *SNIFFLE* Mabel's mad at me, and…and…_Wendy hates me_! She won't talk to me! She won't listen to me! She doesn't even want to look at me!" Mabel watched as Dipper reached deep into the pillow propping him upwards and pulled out one of his many secrets, a razor thin photo of his teenaged sweetheart. The mere sight of his partner in crime made the boy become teary-eyed. He brought his knees up to his chest as he lowered his head and openly wept. Waddles climbed up and attempted to lick the salty tears from the downtrodden child's face as he moaned silently to himself:

_"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…I didn't mean to…"_

Upon hearing Dipper's point of view, Mabel's perspective changed at once. She tip-toed away from the scene and back down the staircase.

"Maybe it's not too late! There is still a chance to fix things!"


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later, Dipper Pines laid in bed, staring up at the mold-covered ceiling. He let out a depressed sigh as he counted the cracks in the wall over and over again. He didn't realize how boring life could be in Gravity Falls with both of his favorite girls furious with him. A knock on his bedroom door made him sit up and take notice.

"How's it hanging, kid?" Grunkle Stan greeted as he sat down on the bed next to Dipper.

"Terrible, Grunkle Stan…" Dipper mumbled at he lowered his head again.

"I see…" Stan noticed the two State Fair passes carelessly tossed to the side of Dipper's nightstand. The elder reached for the tickets, "What gives? I thought you were excited for this gig!"

"I was, Grunkle Stan," Dipper explained. "That is, until I screwed everything up!" He sunk back down, "Now, it looks like if I go to this thing, I'm going by myself."

Stan placed his arm around the demoralized boy, "Look, kid. I don't know what happened, but I do know that you can't take this lying down…figuratively speaking." He shoved the tickets into his nephew's chest, "Dipper, you have to get out of this house and try to make the best of this situation."

Dipper raised his head, "Thanks for the pep talk, Grunkle Stan, but I think I'm still going to stay here."

Stan stood up back and dusted himself off, "That's the thing, Dipper. You _need_ to get out of the house! The exterminators are coming to spray for ticks today! We can't come back 'til later tonight!"

"Eww!" Dipper hopped off the bed and began to pat himself randomly. His whole body itched as he reflected on Stan's statement. He looked to see that his great-uncle had already taken his leave. His eyes shifted to the tickets held in his left hand. With a sense of regret, he took one of the passes and left it on top of his nightstand. The way Dipper figured, there wasn't a reason to need two vouchers anymore.

As he walked down the stairs, Dipper found himself asking why even bother going? He went through the silent parlor and into the empty Gift Shop, where an uneasy quiet seemed to tread. As Dipper made his way to the exit, the haunting solace reminded him of the sole reason for heading to the fair:

"Where else am I supposed to go? Especially after everything that's happened…"

* * *

This year, the Oregon State Fair was held just outside of Gravity Falls, so the journey was rather short for Dipper. He stepped off the bus and raised his sights towards the illuminated structure. Two marvelous show lights stemming from the inside lit up the night sky, as if they were beacons hoping to lead the curious to its gates.

Dozens of excited patrons ran past the slow-paced tween as he made his way to the ticket checker. He surrendered his ticket, only to given a stub in return. Strangely enough, the man at the turning gate questioned, "Just for one today?"

Dipper nodded before his curiosity got the better of him. "Why'd you ask?"

The worker shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno. Don't mean nuthin by it. Just seen a lotta couples here; not too many people go to these things by themselves. _More like the sorta thing you'd bring a sweetheart to…"_

Struck deep by the stranger's observation, Dipper broke away from the man's eye contact, aiming his overlook towards the ground.

"The story of my life…"

Dipper went through the spinner and took in all of the sights. The carney wasn't kidding! Nearly every attraction was filled with cute couples. No matter where he turned, the heartbroken pre-teen was unable to escape the sight of various pairs sharing junk food, playing games for cheaply made prizes, and embracing each other as they enjoyed the nerve-wrecking rides.

He raised a hand above his eyes in an effort to shield himself from the constant reminders: of his angered crush, of what he originally hoped and dreamed for_, of how his life was supposed to be_. Dipper walked away faster and faster, desperate to get away from any potential mementos until he found himself at a towering structure. His vision focused upwards to discover that he had ended up right in front of the Ferris Wheel; the exact same one that Wendy had originally gushed over.

Defeated, Dipper let out an overwhelmed breath. There was no way to escape his fate.

He stepped up to the gate and decided to accept destiny. If he couldn't experience this with Wendy, the next best thing would be to _experience it for the both of them_. The operator opened the bar and lifted it up, motioning the hesitant boy to take a seat. Dipper sunk down and rested his head on top of his closed fists. As he sulked in the chair, the young detective figured he'd make the better out of the horrible situation.

"Everyone says I live in a world of make-believe," he lamented. "Maybe that's _the only way_ I'll be able to live the life I want to…"

Suddenly, something out in the distance caught Dipper's eye. A girl that looked exactly like _his_ Wendy could be seen in the background. Oddly enough, the plaid-dressed teenager appeared to be exploring the various distractions, almost like she was looking for something…or someone.

The teen dropped in her tracks as soon as she laid eyes on the Ferris Wheel. Seconds later, her emerald green eyes synced up with his troubled brown ones. She offered a dimpled smile and a quick nod at the sight before her. The redhead made her way towards the entry to the Ferris Wheel, where she was greeted by the carnival worker. As with Dipper, the man walked her over to where the mystified lad sat.

He gazed up, never once taking his eyes off of the girl in front of him. She walked to his right and asked him gently, "Is this seat taken?"

Dipper could only stare back with a widen expression, "Man, this is insane! I've never had my imagination run away with me _this_ much!"

All of a sudden, the "specter" seemingly broke through reality and gave the spellbound kid a love tap against his shoulder, making him jump in fright.

"Dude, is this seat taken or not?!"

"WHAT?! YOU'RE REAL?! I mean, no, but…"

Before Dipper could finish his stuttering, Wendy went ahead and took the spot next to her secret admirer. Caught totally off-guard, he went to leap out of his seat, only have to the operator slam the security bar down on him.

"All hands and feet inside the ride at all times!" he warned as he securely locked the panicked adolescent alongside his main squeeze. The gears of the machines began to activate. The wheel turned, slowly elevating the duo off of the ground.

Wendy glanced down at the boy desperately trying to escape his confinement, "Hey, are you alright?"

Her voice brought Dipper back to reality, "Huh? Sorry, just a bit spooked…" He calmed himself enough to attempt asking how this miraculous coincidence came to be, "What are you doing here? I thought you hated me?"

She rolled her eyes at her naïve cohort. "Just because I get a bit peeved doesn't mean that I hate you…"

A glimmer of hope could be seen in his eyes, "You – You don't?"

"Of course not! I just…I just wished you didn't do what you did…"

As guilt crept at the back of Dipper's mind, Wendy continued on, "As for your second question, I guess I have you to thank for that, don't I?"

Dipper raised an eyebrow to her claim.

"I mean, that was this whole thing was about, wasn't it? You and me spending the day together?" She patted the iron bar in her lap, "Seeing what this big guy was all about? Like I said, it is my favorite…"

Dumbfounded, Dipper forced himself to choke out a response, "How did…how did you –"

She beamed down on him, "Let's say Mabel and I had a little chat and sorted some things out."

Her answer left Dipper even more confused, "Wait! You talked to Mabel? But how did she –"

"Relax, Dipper…" Wendy put her index and middle finger against his lips to silence him, "Let's just enjoy the view for a sec. This is the best part!"

Following his crush's advice, Dipper sat back and soaked up the atmosphere. From what seemed like the top of the world, the State Fair's glow shone like an earthbound star amongst the clear Oregon sky. As the Ferris Wheel began its descent, preparing for another rotation, Wendy broke the peaceful, yet somewhat awkward silence.

"Y'know, that's why I was mad in the first place…"

Dipper's ears perked up, "What?"

"About Mabel…"

"I'm still not following you?"

Wendy reached into her jeans and pulled out her wallet. She opened it and presented it before Dipper, "Do you remember this?"

Dipper spotted a taped down picture of three red-headed little boys standing next to a super-tall girl with braces. She pouted as her hands were placed against her hips.

He nodded in response, "You showed me this the night of the Mystery Shack Dance. This is a picture of you and your brothers when you were younger!"

"Yep!" Wendy pulled back and stared at her keepsake, "I love my brothers, Dipper. I really do, but the majority of the time, they're giant pains in the butt!"

Dipper hung on every word as Wendy continued to narrate, "I mean, my family spends lots of time together, like we go camping and fishing and so on, but personally, we're not as close as you and Mabel are…" Wendy's demeanor changed as she put her wallet back, "I know it's kinda rough at times without Mom, but for the majority of the time, they look at me like some bossy nanny than they do as an older sister."

She placed a hand on Dipper's shoulder, "Sometimes, I wish we were like how you guys are. That's why it's really important that you do what you can do take care of one another. You can't let _anything_ ruin or threaten that, Dipper, _even if it is for my sake_! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Once more, Dipper nodded. After another awkward hush, he asked in an innocent tone, "Does that mean we can still hang out here?"

Wendy gave him an playful shove with her elbow, "You bet! You might as well see what all the hub-bub is about, right?"

The Ferris Wheel returned to the top. "That's great! So, what did you want to do next, Wendy?"

The fifteen-year-old peered over the edge until something caught her attention. She leaned over and pointed down, violently shaking their shared platform, "Hey, Dipper! Look at that!"

Dipper leaned over to see a small game booth on the right side of the Ferris Wheel. The entire cubicle was covered in its trademark prize: a black and white striped teddy bear with a dark black zebra mane alongside the top of his head.

"I don't know if it's a zebra or a bear, _but I want one_!" The enlivened girl turned towards her pal with shining eyes and a tooth-filled grin.

Remembering the last time he was placed in that situation, Dipper took his crush by the hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Um…" he chuckled timidly. "Let's not and say we did…"

* * *

From a distance, Mabel watched Wendy and Dipper to insure that their reunion was to go exactly as hoped. She observed through a pair of binoculars that they rode the Ferris Wheel hand-in-hand, smiling and laughing along the way.

"Good for you, Broseph" Mabel lowered the binoculars and dusted her hands off. "Good for you…"

She looked down at the pet pig at her feet, "What do you think, Waddles? Dipper can handle things from here, right?"

The pig answered back in a series of oinks.

"You're right," Mabel translated. "I shouldn't underestimate him." With a burst of energy, Mabel pointed towards the sky and shouted, "Now that's finished, let's go, Waddles! There are more wrongs to be righted and more injustices that need the power of "Mabel" to be resolved!"

As the tween posed heroically, she looked down at her pet, who stared up at her with big, black eyes.

"Eh…" She lowered herself down to Waddles's level, "Enough good deeds for the day. Let's say we grab a bite to eat? I'm buying!" He answered her with several excited squeals as they walked side by side towards the closest snack tent…

_July 20, 2014 – August 1, 2014_


End file.
